SUZUKI’S ROCZEN TAKES SUPERCROSS VICTORY IN TEXAS
February 22, 2016
It was a great week for Team Suzuki! Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki Factory Racing’s Ken Roczen captured his second Monster Energy AMA Supercross victory of the 2016 season in front of 57,755 fans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Meanwhile on the other side of the globe, Suzuki impressively topped the timing charts in pre-season MotoGP testing in Australia.
Team Suzuki highlights for last weekend’s racing included:
- RCH Suzuki’s Factory Racing’s Ken Roczen taking a hard-fought victory on his Suzuki RM-Z450 at AT&T Stadium.
- A total of seven Suzuki riders making the evening program in Arlington, including five Suzuki RM-Z450 riders and two aboard the Suzuki RM-Z250.
- Team Suzuki Ecstar rider Maverick Viñales ending the three-day, pre-season MotoGP test at Phillip Island as the fastest rider of the test aboard his 2016 Suzuki GSX-RR.
Roczen Takes Thrilling Victory on the RCH Suzuki RM-Z450
In the closest and most hard-fought Monster Energy AMA Supercross race of the season so far, RCH Suzuki’s Ken Roczen came out on top in a race-long battle with series leader Ryan Dungey. The victory was the second of the season for Roczen and moved him to within 23 points of the lead in the battle for the series title.
Roczen was fifth in timed qualifying, but the RCH rider and his powerful Suzuki RM-Z450 came out swinging once the first gate dropped. The No. 94 started out the night with a strong heat race win, and then his sparkling performance on his RCH Suzuki brought the Texas fans to their feet in the main event. Roczen lead a spirited battle at the head of the field, and in the end, it was Roczen who broke away to win by 1.410 seconds.
“It was great to win that one,” said an ecstatic Roczen after the Arlington victory. “Me and Ryan battled hard the entire time. He’d pass me and then I’d pass him back. It was a great race. We both wanted it and were both pushing hard.”
Motorcycle Superstore/Suzuki’s Cunningham Remains in the Top 10
Kyle Cunningham had a few tough breaks in the 250 West Supercross race on his Motorcycle Superstore/Suzuki RM-Z250 in Arlington, Texas, but his 16th-place finish was good enough to maintain his ninth place standing in the 250 West Series Championship.
Cunningham will get the opportunity to move up the premier class next weekend, racing a Suzuki RM-Z450, and he is notably excited at the chance to step up to the big bike.
“I’ve ridden the RM-Z450 in the past and I’m really loving the bike right now,” Cunningham said. “I loved that bike last year when I raced it in the outdoors. I’m just looking forward to the opportunity that Motorcycle Superstore/Suzuki put together for me for the coming weeks.”
Suzuki Leads the Way in MotoGP Testing
Not a lot of pundits expected it, but Suzuki’s MotoGP squad showed just how rapidly they are improving in pre-season tests this past Wednesday through Friday at the famous Phillip Island road course in Australia. Team Suzuki Ecstar rider Maverick Viñales was consistently among the fastest riders during the three-day test, and when it was over, Viñales and his Suzuki GSX-RR were the fastest of the test.
The Spaniard took full benefit of the improvements to the GSX-RR unveiled in Malaysia and Australia by Suzuki’s R&D department in Japan; the new engine specifications, the seamless gearbox, chassis and electronic configurations.
“For sure I’m happy in how this test went overall, we made solid progress both in the single lap performance and for the consistency,” Viñales said. “Of course ending a test at the top is a good feeling that makes you comfortable for the future, but we must keep our feet on the ground and stay focused on the development plan we have set.”
As the Supercross season moves East, Team Suzuki will be in action this coming Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016 at round eight, the mid-way point of Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship inside the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. It marks the opening round of the 250 East Region Series.
Television viewers can catch the action live on Fox Sports 1 starting at 7:00 pm Eastern. Many of Team Suzuki’s riders will be in Atlanta on Friday, Feb. 26 from 6:00 - 7:00 PM at Mountain Motorsports Marietta, 780 Cobb Parkway South, Marietta, GA 30060. Supercross fans can meet the riders and get autographed posters at this dealer appearance.
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